Decanting More Humus

A visit to the allotment this afternoon, it was supposed to be 9C but it didn't feel like it and as it reached 3pm and the sun was going down a distinct chill could be felt despite the digging.

I managed to fill 5 number 30 litre pots with handles with humas from the raised bed footprint.

I've covered the bed back up to keep the soil dry until the next dry day visit to dig out and decant more into buckets.

Soil turned with a fork and then a spade used to fill the 30 litre pots with handles which have been stacked in the path either side of bed 15a.

It's hard to see in a photograph how deep I have gone.

Empty pots put on top of the full pots to stop the foxes from digging them out. 

End of play today I would say between 40-45% of the plan area excavated

Scaffold boards and gardening tray covering the bed to keep the rain out and the soil from being saturated to make excavating and decanting the humus easier next dry day.

It's going to take time to get all these raised beds in, but it's going to be worthwhile in the long run, plus it makes me exercise and use my body.

Excavation Of Humus Material

 

Four days ago the forecast for today and tomorrow was rain, now it's all changed. So of to the allotment I went, a little colder but with the sun out, it was really mild, and enjoyable and I took Mavericks with me to listen to as I worked, as I'm still gutted Raul Malo died a couple of days ago.

I uncovered bed 15b to let the soil breath and dry out a bit and decided to excavate the woodchip margin around the new narrow first level of the raised bed on both sided of the bed. 

Digging out the weeds and old woodchip with the long handled fork and trowel 

View from the other end as hard to see because of the sun and shadow 

Hard to believe that was nearly 30 Litres excavated and re-laid in fresh woodchips 

The Margin along bed 15 was dug out and replaced with woodchips.

Pilot Holes & Screws

900mm Scaffold boards drilled with 3 pilot holes or 4 if a split can be seen forming in the board

A couple of degrees colder than yesterday only about 11C but zero wind and chill factor and the sun was out so another mild morning on the allotment, just a shorter visit today as I was off to have lunch with my daughters & grandson.

Drilling pilot holes in the 900mm (3ft) scaffold boards and screwing in decking screws to get ready to assemble more raised bed frames.

Complete the second raised bed frame for beds 12 & 12a, then pre drilled more 900mm (3ft) scaffold boards.

I didn't feel like I made as much progress as yesterday, and the weather is not looking good all the way to Christmas at the moment. harvest the last of the beetroots for my grandson as he loves them.

After lunch I made a trip to Wicks to get more decking screws.

Decking screws placed into the pilot holes. 

TX Headed Decking Screws then screwed into the scaffold boards. 

One board fixed to the end of the open U framework, and more virgin boards brought up from the pile at the entrance to the plot

Boards with screws lowered into the couple of raised bed frames, for temporary storage. 

More 900mm virgin boards moved up from the pile of boards by the entrance, drilled and then a number of the older 900mm boards that need the end bands removed stacked over the joints in the lower boards on roofing battens for air flow so they can dry out. Looking at the forecast they are going to get wet as rain is forecast for the next 14 days at the moment. 

State of play at the end of my visit. Then harvesting beetroots and getting ready to go for lunch with my girls and grandson.

Working on Bed 14 & 14a

A nice sunny 13C day, so I hit the allotment early and set about clearing framed bed 14. Taking the frame apart and then with Wally's assistance lifting the frameworks of the raised beds off and placing on the bed, so that I could assemble the next couple of frames ready for doing the same on framed bed 13

Photo above Framed Bad 14 before clearing blocks and debris and unscrewing the frame.

The two new raised bed frames placed on the framed Bed 14 footprint once the frame was dismantled and laid on the path.

The rotting timber will be placed under the new frames to raise them up a little and level the frames without embedding into the ground as it slopes. The soils is so nice and rich, it will be weeded and decanted into buckets and then used to refill the top level of raised beds.

Bed 14 & 14a are 300mm narrower than the original to make leaning into working it easier, and the paths wider so the wheelbarrows are easier to get around them. Weeding and re laying the woodchip margins to the path slabs needed.

Bed 14 & 14a are 300mm narrower than the original to make leaning into work easier, and the paths wider so the wheelbarrows are easier to get around them

Using the predrilled 0.9m (3ft) timbers I assembled more frames on top of bed 15

View from the potting shed door.

ALPEN Snip Rigi 300 Harvesting & Trimming Snip

ALPEN, the new brand of pruning tools and accessories born in Switzerland, you know that place that came up with the Swiss army knife that we all wanted when were were boy scouts, because in those days we carved tent pegs and didn't use them for stabbing other humans. 

Switzerland thus has a reputation for producing, robust, durable, ergonomic, reliable and carefully designed quality tools. I'm happy to say that ALPEN have sent me a couple of their tools to trial and blog about. 

ALPEN also produce pruning shears, loppers, hedge shears, saws... There entire range is available online, and now in many outlets in the UK.

So far I have only used the Snip Rigi to trim my Japanese Onions, but now I have them I will be using them more and letting you know how I get on with them.     

Some more information about the ALPEN Snip Rigi 300

The Rigi 300 snips are an essential tool for trimming your plants and harvesting fruit and vegetables. Its ultra sharp blades easily trimgi shoots, herbs and flowers, and being made from stainless steel do not rust and are easy to maintain. The long, thin blades with rounded tips make them an ideal tool for careful harvesting of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

FEATURES

• Blade: Japanese stainless steel Handles: Metal handles with black oxide coating and yellow PVC grips (Phthalates free) / ALPEN logo laser engraved
• Spring: Spiral with black oxide coating
• Locker: Leather
• Weight : 115 grams

MAINTENANCE

Take care of your tools to keep them for a long time. It is recommended to sharpen the blade of your pruning shears as soon as it seems dull. After use, clean and store your tools in a clean and dry place. It is also necessary to oil your blade regularly. Use a quality grease from ALPEN Tambo line.

RRP 9.90 euros in the UK they are selling for 

Lettuce Bundle - Seeds To Suit

 Link to Offer on Seeds To Suit 

Assembling Raised Bed Frames

The forecast for today didn't look so good when I looked over the weekend but with it being dry this morning and with less than a 50% chance of rain until 11:00 and my phone also telling me that's when the rain was due. 13C and really mild today, so I went to the allotment to carry on building the raised bed frames and to cover bed 15b against more rain.

The Allgold Raspberries are loosing their leaves and becoming see through. I was the only person on the allotment for a couple of hours, one of the new plot holders did his kitchen waste drop off for his compost and about half an hour before I left John arrived and we had a chat. 

State of play from my last visit with the older scaffold boards for the next frame stacked on the lower frame of bed 15a 

The Scaffold boards stacked on the lower frame of Bed 16a were assembled on top of Raise bed 16 and that frame will go on 16a once the Humus has been decanted and weeded ready to be put back into the top level of the raised bed

It's so much easier to assemble the frames on top of a covered bed. Two drills as one is fitted with the timber drill bit and the other with the screw bit head

Bed 15 cleared so that I can make the first frame for Bed 14 on top of it, out of the recently purchased scaffold boards. 

I turned the frame on its side so I could take the twist out of the corner joint and line up the timbers. 

Raised bed frame laid back down once final corner assembled

I thought it was all over, but rain was now due at 11:45. I covered bed 15a with the plastic garden tray so that when it rains it does not get any wetter, as I need to decant the soil in that bed and then back fill with rotting timber and branches.

There was time to assemble another frame from the new scaffolding boards before the rain came. The better sides facing outwards and nice tight square joints, unlike the first load of scaffold boards I bought that were not cut square. Looking at the photo I can see the split in the board and mid width so another couple of screws may go in next visit either side of the split at each corner.

Next visit I can clear the framed bed currently called 14 and install the two smaller frames end to end and assemble the next two frames ready. John or Wally will give me a hand to move and place them when the time comes, they are good neighbours and know I now have limitations of what I can mange to do on my own.

ALPEN Pruning shear Gelbhorn 140

ALPEN, the new brand of pruning tools and accessories born in Switzerland, you know that place that come up with the Swiss army knife that we all wanted when were were boy scouts, because in those days we carved tent pegs and didn't use them for stabbing other humans. 

Switzerland thus has a reputation for producing, robust, durable, ergonomic, reliable and carefully designed quality tools. I'm happy to say that ALPEN have sent me a couple of their tools to trial and blog about. 

I have two grape vines and some plumb tree branches to cut up, and the ALPEN Gelbhorn 140 will be put through its paces, and I will write an honest review. 

ALPEN also produce pruning shears, loppers, hedge shears, saws... There entire range is available online, and now in many outlets in the UK.  

Some more information about the Gelbhorn 140

Maintain plants and trees with ease using the Gelbhorn 140 pruning shears. Don’t let the lightweight in your hands deceive you, the Gelbhorn 140 is a powerful cutting tool that delivers precise and clean cuts of branches up to 18mm / 0.70 in. Thanks to its PTFE coated blade to ensure smooth cuts and steel reinforced lightweight 2 component plastic handles, the Gelbhorn 140 can comfortably handle a variety of pruning jobs in the field and garden.

FEATURES

• Counter blade: Carbon steel with hard chrome plating / Sap groove
• Handles: Yellow PP handles with black TPR injection (Phthalates free)
• Spring: Spiral with black oxide coating
• Shock-absorber

MAINTENANCE

Taking care of your tools, replacing worn parts, and storing them properly is a simple way to work in harmony with your environment.

To get long lasting and optimal use of your tools, be sure to maintain them properly. Do this by sharpening the blade of your pruner as soon as it appears dull, clean it after use, and store it in a dry place. Also regularly oil your blade to keep it cutting smoothly. Spare parts available.

RRP £19.99 but I have seen these selling on Amazon (uk) for between £11 to £12 

Planting Membrane For Raised Beds

 

Most packs of seeds deal with rows and then spacing along the rows, however as with the square foot gardening concept, I'm looking at the square area that is recommended for each vegetable and using that information, and then seeing what modular grid in a planting membrane will give me a similar square area.   

It is suggested to sow parsnip seeds thinly in shallow drills about 1cm deep, with rows 25-30cm (10-12 inches) apart, then thin seedlings to their final spacing: 100mm (4") for small roots, 150mm (6") for medium, and 200-250 (8" - 10") for large roots to prevent overcrowding and ensure good growth, keeping soil consistently moist.

So taking the smallest row size of 250mm 

     250mm x 100mm = 25,000 sq. mm = Small roots

     250mm x 150mm = 37,500 sq. mm = Medium roots

     250mm x 200mm = 50,000 sq. mm = Large roots

35 hole Planting Membrane with 150mm x 150mm = 22,500 sq.mm 

30 Hole Planting Membrane with 200mm x 150mm = 30,000 sq.mm 

24 Hole Planting Membrane with 200mm x 200mm = 40,000 sq.mm 

20 Hole Planting Membrane with 250mm x 200mm = 50,000 sq.mm 

Now Lets consider optimum spacing for Japanese Onions 

For Japanese onions in raised beds, aim for 100mm - 150mm (4"- 6") spacing between sets/ seedlings for good bulb size, with rows 250mm - 300mm (10"-12") apart for growth and weeding, though closer spacing (down to 5-10cm) yields smaller, bunching-style onions; plant sets with the tip just peeking above the soil in well-drained, compost-rich soil. 

So 250mm x 100mm = 25,000 sq. mm 

     250mm x 150mm = 37,500 sq. mm 

     300mm x 100mm = 30,000 sq. mm

     300mm x 150mm = 45,000 sq. mm 

Looking at the corner holes they will have a smaller area than the rest so I tweaked

the centres from 250mm to 240mm 

20 Hole Rev A Planting Membrane with 240mm x 200mm = 48,000 sq.mm

Collecting Leaves

 
It's that time of year again for collecting leaves to make leaf mould or add as browns in you compost bin with the last of you green vegetation as you close down your plot.

Most trees have long roots extending deep into the subsoil. They draw in the nutrients and trace minerals which have leached out of the upper soil layers. Fifty to 80% of these nutrients end up in the leaves, they are natures nutrient recyclers.

 
You always have to be careful what else you are collecting with the leaves! 

Last year I collected loads of leaf in late November, so far this year I've not collected any. 

No Allotment Visit Today

 

With the % Chance of rain, it's not looking like I will be going to the allotment anytime today. However Wednesday and Thursday are now looking more hopeful than they were a couple of days ago. Meanwhile snow is going to blitz the top half of the united kingdom this week, I love being in the South East of the UK.  

First Frame Of Raised Bed 16a

According to the weather forecast earlier this week it was supposed to be heavy rain all day. Weather was 11C overcast, no wind chill factor, however there was no rain this morning and the sun popped its head out, and thus until it started to light rain/ drizzle about 12:30 I spent a few hours working on assembling the base level frame for bed 16a. De-banding and drilling pilot holes in the old 0.9m (3ft) scaffold boards. Photo above is before Wally helped me, on his way home from the allotment by lifting the frame so I could level the soil it was bearing on. 

Bed 16 re covered with the new scaffold boards to keep the foxes off

Scaffold boards for the second level of Raised Bed 16a stacked on the first level. I really should have covered the bed to let it dry out so that I can get in there and decant the humus into 30L pots with handles. I didn't think about that until I was just leaving the car park and it was raining, so that's the first job to do next visit. 

Three of the old 0.9m (3ft) scaffold boards that need the banding removed from one end. They are stacked on bed 15 at the moment. 

SFG bed 1 Vailan Winter Gem Lettuce and Carrots

SFG Bed 2 from the potting shed Vailan Winter Gem Lettuce & Senshyu Japanese Onions

Bed 15a Carrots & Beetroots.